Chapter Seven
A ngie stared at Lucius in disbelief. “What?”
He flicked her with a brief glance with pit-black eyes, enfolding himself in remoteness.
“Lucius… The timing was that close?” she pressed.
“Yes.”
“Did you… Has it occurred to you—”
“That Mikey might be mine? Of course. After Lisa announced her pregnancy I approached her privately and asked. She promised to have a DNA test done after Mikey was born.”
“Talk about awkward.” Angie caught her lip between her teeth. “I assume Geoff knew about—”
“Our encounter, for lack of a better word? Yes. Our friendship survived it. Barely. After Mikey was born, Lisa was quite up-front about the test. She arranged for it to be conducted, all very discreet and private, all of us very polite and sophisticated about the situation. Geoff was certain Mikey was his. As it turned out, he was right. But that doesn’t change anything. I could have been the father just as easily as Geoff. And if our situation were reversed, I would have wanted him to stand for me if I’d orphaned my son. And Geoff would have done it, too. He was that sort of man.”
Angie caught the black pain underscoring his words and her heart went out to him. More than anything she wished she could take him in her arms and soothe the hurt. But she couldn’t. Not only were they in a moving car, but they didn’t have that sort of relationship. She fought back a pained laugh, one she didn’t doubt would be edged with hysteria. They’d made love. They planned to marry. But she didn’t dare comfort her future husband. Could it get any more bizarre?
They arrived at the hospital just then, putting an end to the conversation. Parking proved more problematic since visiting hours hadn’t yet ended. Lucius finally slipped into a space a good hike from the emergency room entrance. Right before they walked through the sliding doors, he annoyed her by giving her hair a quick ruffle, tumbling the curls into just-out-of-bed disorder.
They found Tabby Ridgeway in a jam-packed waiting area. Somehow she held herself aloof from the noise and bustle and misery. She cradled a sleeping Mikey in her arms and sat with her eyes closed, the deep lines carved into her face revealing age and exhaustion and fear in equal measure.
Sensing their presence, she glanced in their direction and drew herself up as though steeling herself, a regal hauteur snapping into place along with her spine. Her gaze shifted from one to the other of them and in that instant Angie realized Lucius had been right. As usual. A woman’s awareness filtered through Tabby’s obvious distress, one that took in Angie’s hair, the not fully fastened buttons of her blouse, the lack of makeup. A hint of outrage flashed through her cold eyes, then was gone.
“How’s Benjamin?” Lucius asked. He gently unburdened Tabby, ignoring her instinctive flinch to prevent him from taking the baby. Mikey stretched and opened his eyes, grinning and babbling excitedly when he saw who held him. “Is there anything we can do to help other than take Mikey?”
She registered the word we by switching her attention to Angie and narrowing her eyes. “I shouldn’t have called. Clearly, I’ve interrupted something.”
“You did. Angie and I were celebrating our engagement,” Lucius replied easily. “But don’t worry about it. All that can wait. It’s not like it’s come as any surprise to either of us. We’ll celebrate tomorrow when we pick out the ring.” He switched his attention to the baby. “You can come along and help us decide which one is best, can’t you, little guy?”
“Engaged?” Angie caught the confusion, followed by a reassessment. “You two are engaged to be married?”
Lucius nodded. “It’s been in the works for a while.” Angie couldn’t get over the gentleness of his tone or the effortless way he held the baby, bouncing him in a light, rhythmic motion that spoke of experience in quieting a fussy infant, or entertaining a happy one. “Since she works for me—for the moment—we haven’t wanted to say anything. It didn’t seem…appropriate.”
Angie deliberately changed the subject. “Is there any news about Mr. Ridgeway’s condition?”
Fear invaded Tabby’s features once again. “Not yet. They’re taking so long. Too long.”
“Let me see what I can find out.” Lucius transferred the baby to Angie. “I’ll be right back.”
Angie cradled Mikey against her shoulder and took the seat next to Tabby. “If you want to get yourself a drink or some food, I can wait here and watch your things.”
“No. No, I don’t want anything.” She twisted her hands together, waves of disapproval emanating from her. “How long have you and Lucius…?”
Oh, dear. They hadn’t discussed the details of their cover story, yet. “About nine months,” she improvised, deciding Lucius would want the relationship to predate his guardianship. “We were going to announce our engagement sooner, but…” She trailed off in the hopes that Tabby would assume the announcement had been postponed after Geoff’s and Lisa’s deaths.
She nodded. “Very considerate of you,” she said in a stiff voice. “I’m surprised you’d be willing to take on a man like Lucius, especially now that he has the responsibility of my grandson.”
“I adore Mikey. I have from the moment I first saw him.”
“We—Benjamin and I—don’t feel Lucius is a fit parent.”
Angie tiptoed through the minefield which had opened up so unexpectedly in front of her. “Perhaps with time, you’ll discover otherwise. I know he has a reputation, but I’ve found that reputation to be a bit of an exaggeration.” She offered a conspiratorial smile. “You know how businessmen are. If people think you’re ruthless, they’re more respectful and cautious in their dealings with you. I’m sure Geoff would never have appointed Lucius his son’s guardian if he didn’t have complete faith in his best friend’s character.”
“Geoff was under the influence of that woman, ” Tabby retorted. “I’m not sure he was in an adequate frame of mind to judge.”
Okay, Angie decided. Clearly, she wasn’t going to win this particular argument, not that she’d expected to. Heavy silence settled between them, as chilly and bitter as the breeze that gusted through the sliding doors whenever they parted to cough out a new arrival. She glanced in the direction Lucius had disappeared, relieved to see him striding in their direction, a doctor at his side.
“This is Dr. Sanji,” he explained, making the introductions. “He’s the cardiologist who’s been taking care of Benjamin.”
The doctor sat beside Tabby and gathered her hand in his. Brave man, was all Angie could think. “All is well, Mrs. Ridgeway. Your husband did not suffer a heart attack, but a panic attack.”
Tabby’s chin trembled. “Not his heart? You’re certain?”
“Quite certain.” His light brown eyes stayed fixed on her, their expression calm and reassuring. “I understand you are both under considerable emotional distress. This weekend would have been your late son’s birthday, is that correct?”
Tabby nodded, pressing her lips tightly together. “He would have been thirty-two.”
“No doubt this is the root cause of your husband’s problem. Panic attacks often mimic the symptoms of a heart attack. The nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath.”
“I didn’t know what to do,” she confessed, “so I called 9-1-1.”
“As you should have. We have put him on a mild antianxiety medication, which will ease his distress. You should be able to take him home in a few hours. Until then, why don’t you come sit with him?” He offered a charming smile. “I’m sure having you at his side will do far more for him than any medication.”
Tabby spared Mikey a worried glance. “My grandson?”
“Don’t worry about that.” Angie leaped into the breach. “Lucius and I will take good care of him.”
Tabby retreated behind her wall of reserve. “See that you do.” Sweeping to her feet, she collected her handbag. “Please return the diaper bag the next time we have visitation.” She didn’t bother waiting for an answer, but stalked away without a backward glance.
“Let’s get out of here,” Lucius said. “Are you okay with Mikey?”
“If you’ll grab the diaper bag, I’m fine.” She traced her hand across the baby’s soft dark curls. “It’s so noisy here, I can’t believe he’s fallen asleep again.”
“He’s a good kid, just like his dad.” After making sure Mikey was protected against the elements, they exited the emergency room and headed for the car. Lucius hit the remote to disengage the locks. “Did she buy the engagement?” he asked, shooting Angie a searching glance.
“Seemed to.”
“Let’s see if we can’t find a way to shift that to ‘completely sold’ on the concept.” He took Mikey and slipped him into the car seat with the ease of three months’ worth of practice. Angie watched carefully while he took care of the various buckles, committing the process to memory in case she was called on to do it in the future. “Let’s get home. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”
The return trip didn’t take long. Mikey woke up just as they were parking the car, his whimpers increasing to wails with each passing minute. The instant they reached the foyer, Lucius inclined his head in the direction of the kitchen. “He sounds hungry. I’ll warm up a bottle.”
“I’ll check his diaper and get him ready for bed.”
“His bedroom is opposite mine. Ours,” he corrected himself. “You’ll find everything you need in there.”
She located the room without any trouble. Before Mikey’s advent it had been used as an office. A crib occupied one corner of the room, while a huge mahogany desk had been transformed into a changing table, the surface boxed in with a wooden topper to prevent the baby from rolling off. His pitiful wails eased off the instant she stripped him of his sopping disposable diaper. She’d have been a bit more uncertain about the process if she hadn’t had the opportunity to help out with Mikey’s care over the past dozen weeks. She hadn’t been called on to assist often, just enough to refresh her memory from her babysitting days. With luck, Lucius wouldn’t pick up on the fact that she wasn’t quite as experienced as her résumé claimed.
To her amusement, she found sleepwear in a gorgeous mahogany file cabinet that matched the desk, clearly repurposed to serve as Mikey’s dresser. Fighting flailing limbs, she managed to get him snapped together. Then she scooped him up and carried him into the living room.
A couple minutes later, Lucius entered with a baby bottle. “Want me to take him?”
“I don’t mind feeding him.” She took a seat on the couch and smiled down at Mikey. “I don’t often get the chance.”
“That’s about to change.” He tested the temperature of the milk a final time and handed her the bottle. “A lot of things are about to change.”
Mikey latched onto the nipple and she chuckled at his greedy enthusiasm. “At least we got the hard part over with. Now that the Ridgeways know about our engagement, maybe they’ll hold off suing for custody.”
He turned off the overhead lights, allowing the illumination from the city to bathe the room in a soft glow. “They might hold off. Especially if we follow it with a wedding as soon as possible.”
It took a moment for his words to penetrate. The instant they did, her head jerked up and she looked across the room at him. He stood in front of the bank of windows that marched along one full wall of the room, his forearm braced against the glass. He kept his back to her while he stared out at the city. Even though his stance gave the impression of casual indifference, she caught a line of tension sweeping across his shoulders and a dangerous stillness that usually came before the predatory pounce.
“As soon as possible?” she repeated uneasily. “What sort of time frame are we looking at?”
He shrugged, a swift, restless movement. “Days. No more than a week or so.”
Angie lifted the baby to her shoulder and rubbed his back, struggling to pinpoint the quality in his voice that sounded off. “Why the rush?” she asked.
He turned to face her. Even then she couldn’t read him, his expression buried within the thick shadows consuming the room. “I want this tied up. A done deal.”
This time she didn’t need to read his expression. She could hear the fierce determination in his voice, the intent lurking beneath the words. “You mean, you want me tied up.”
“If that’s how you prefer we do it next time.” A blatantly sexual undertone rippled through his dark voice. “I’m sure I can accommodate you.”
“Cut it out, Lucius.”
“I don’t think I can.” He approached, his movements as sleek and graceful as a lion on the prowl. “I want you tied up, tied down, tied to me. I don’t want to give you room to escape.”
She stared at him in bewilderment. “Who said I planned to escape?”
“I’m committed, Angie. We’re committed. We just made the big announcement to the Ridgeways. There’s no going back now and I can’t take the risk that you might change your mind.”
What in the world was going on? “I understand that, and I have no intention of going back or changing my mind.”
“I intend to make certain of it. Tomorrow the ring. Monday, we’ll apply for a marriage license. I have no idea if there’s a waiting period. If so, we wait. If not…” He shrugged. “No point in wasting the opportunity. We can have it over and done with right then and there.”
“Over and done with?” She felt her temper slip and slowly stood. Mikey had fallen asleep once again, and without a word, she set the bottle aside and carried him to his crib. She sensed Lucius following, and turning, found him leaning against the doorjamb. “Lights on or off?” she asked crisply.
“Off. There’s a night-light that comes on automatically when the sensor registers the darkness.”
Sure enough, it flickered to life, a cute little teddy bear, holding its paw to its muzzle in a shh gesture. Without a word Angie brushed past Lucius and returned to the living room. There, she spun around to face him.
“I realize I entered this devil’s bargain with my eyes wide open when I agreed to take on this new job.” She used the final word deliberately, because despite everything he’d said, that’s really how he saw it. “And that our marriage isn’t what anyone would remotely consider normal. But it isn’t something I plan to get over and done with. I won’t be rushed. Nor will I be treated with such casual indifference.”
“So you do want a few ribbons and bows, despite what you claimed.”
It hurt. His callous disregard hurt more than she could possibly express. And it was her own fault. He’d been totally up-front about what he wanted from their marriage. He hadn’t pretended to love her or have any feelings for her other than pure sexual desire.
Anger warred with hurt. “I need you to back off and stop rushing me. I need time to get used to this crazy idea I’ve agreed to. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since you asked me to marry you. I’m not sure it’s even been six! It’s all happening too quickly. I need you to slow down, give me time to adjust.”
Frustration flashed across his expression and he paced the length of the room. “Benjamin isn’t well. Fortunately, it’s not his heart, but it’s clear the stress of losing Geoff is affecting him. Affecting them both. If we marry—soon—they may realize they can’t argue I’m unfit or that Mikey won’t have a stable home life. In addition, they like you. They may conclude that, although it’s not what they originally wanted, they can live with our retaining custody if I grant them liberal visitation rights. Maybe they’ll finally realize trying to take on a baby at this stage in their life would be too much for them, particularly after Benjamin’s anxiety attack.”
“All excellent points. That doesn’t mean we need to marry first thing Monday. We have time.”
“No.” He cut her off with a slashing jerk of his arm. “I don’t want to give them that time. I want to push forward while—”
“While what, Lucius? While they’re weak? Hurting?”
He swore. “Damn it, Angie. I have my reasons for moving up the timeline and they’re sound. I expect you to respect my decision without arguing.” He thrust a hand through his hair, regarding her with open frustration. “You never gave me this much trouble when you were my PA. Stop fighting me on this.”
“Stop pushing.” She planted her hands on her hips. “I’m warning you, Lucius Devlin. If you don’t want your apprentice/wife to become your ex-fiancée before you even have a chance to buy an engagement ring, I suggest you give me a little breathing room.”
For some reason his eyes narrowed and it took a moment for her to realize what had caused his reaction. The instant she did, the breath stuttered in her lungs. Oh, no. No, no, no. She’d said apprentice/wife. There was only one way she could have known that term. From Jett or Pretorius. How could she have been so stupid? He continued to stare at her and she couldn’t look away, trapped within the ice and fire.
“How long have you known?” Soft. Deadly. The slicing flick of a lash.
She didn’t prevaricate, didn’t dare. “Since last Monday.”
“Who told you? How did you find out?” he demanded. The questions came fast and furious, his expression as hard and relentless as his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew?”
She eyed him warily. “Jett let it slip. She assumed I knew and I didn’t correct her assumption.”
“Son of a bitch.”
Maybe a bit of damage control was in order. “I didn’t mention it to you because I assumed it was personal and therefore none of my business. When you called me into your office today and said you had a business proposition to discuss with me, I began to suspect it had something to do with the Pretorius Program.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I understand you used a similar program when you hired me.”
It was his turn to hesitate and he made a concerted effort to curb his temper. “Yes. It’s how you ended up on the short list for a potential wife. Apparently there was a computer glitch and the two programs were linked. It would seem you were the perfect candidate for both positions.”
She couldn’t help herself. The lies she’d set up with Jett’s help caused her to flinch.
He instantly apologized, mistaking the reason for her reaction. “I shouldn’t keep referring to our marriage as though it were a job. I’m hoping it’ll become far more than that for both of us.”
“But not real,” she couldn’t prevent herself from saying.
“I promised you I wouldn’t make any emotional demands on you and I won’t.” His words took on a tight, impatient edge. “Does that reassure you?”
No, the comment made her want to cry. She was a fool. A total idiot. She’d locked herself into this travesty of a job—because despite what he said, it was a job—in the hopes that he would fall in love with her the way she’d fallen in love with him. Not that he ever would. Lucius Devlin possessed far too much self-control to ever allow such a thing.
“So, where do we go from here?” Angie asked.
He didn’t hesitate. “Forward.”
She nodded. “Okay.” She dared to approach, to run her hand along the impressive ridge of muscles lining his arm. “I promise I’ll go through with our marriage, Lucius. I promise I won’t back out. All I’m asking is that we take this a little slower. Just a little.”
“Tomorrow the ring?”
She nodded. “And Monday we’ll take care of the marriage license. That way we’re ready should the need arise sooner than anticipated. Fair enough?”
She felt his tension drain away, the muscles beneath her hand gradually relaxing. “I can live with that.” He hesitated, then added, “You should have told me you knew about the Pretorius Program.”
“You’re right. I should have.” Time to put a quick end to the conversation before he had time to think of any more questions. She made a point of checking her watch. “It’s late. I should head home.”
“Excellent idea.” Then he surprised her by swinging her into his arms. “Welcome home.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “Lucius, seriously. I need to go.”
He shouldered his way into his bedroom. Depositing her onto the bed, he followed her down. “Trust me, my lovely Angelique, when it comes to having you in my home—and in my bed—I’m dead serious.”
And then he consumed her.
“Your assistant has a big mouth, Pretorius.”
“She’s…young. I’ll speak to her.”
“Fortunately, the person she slipped up with is Angie, who’s discretion personified. If it had been anyone else…”
“Yeah, yeah. Got that.” Pretorius hesitated. “The important question is, has the Colter woman agreed to marry you? On paper she’s perfect. More than perfect, in fact.”
“Amazingly, she has agreed,” Lucius confirmed.
“An unusual woman.”
No question about that. “One of a kind.”
“Sort of surprising she’d go along with the plan this fast. Not something most women would do, as you’ve discovered for yourself, especially when you’re not interested in a…” Pretorius groped for a word both appropriate, as well as tactful. “A traditional marriage. Yeah, that’s it. Traditional. You must have offered quite an incentive package.”
Lucius hesitated, his eyes narrowing. “Not really.”
In fact, now that he thought about it, the terms were heavily weighted in his favor. He attempted to run through their conversation in his office, when he’d first outlined their devil’s bargain, as she’d referred to it. Why had she agreed? Money? Maybe that played a part in it, though she’d never betrayed any avaricious traits before. And he’d have noticed. A man in his position possessed impeccable radar when it came to greedy women.
Career advancement? Also unlikely. She’d be tied to him for the next five to six years, caring for house and home. Not the smartest way to advance your career, regardless of the payout at the end of their contract. She’d need to retrain. Work her way back up the corporate ladder. Even with his assistance, that would take time. He’d always sensed she took pride in her abilities on the work front. That it was somehow tied to her self-esteem and sense of overall accomplishment. Why give that up to become a wife and mother?
So, why had she agreed to his proposal? He couldn’t actually remember her ever saying.
“I’ve got to go,” he informed Pretorius, a trifle abruptly. “Speak to your assistant about her discretion issues. Or should I say, indiscretion?”
“Will do. And congratulations. I hope you and Ms. Colter will be very happy together.”
Lucius hung up the phone and glanced toward the elevator. When he’d left his bed, Angie had still been out cold. And with good cause. They’d made love into the deepest, richest part of the night, entwined in passion, then in sleep, lost in an endless embrace as the star-studded inkiness of the dark released its hold to the burning reds and purples of a new dawn. It was as though neither of them could get enough of the other. Even when sleep claimed them they’d remained locked together, craving the intimacy that came through touch and scent.
He crossed to the elevator and returned to his apartment. Angie’s voice came from the direction of the kitchen and he found her there with Mikey. The baby sat cushioned in a high chair, and it seemed to Lucius that his balance improved by the day. She offered him a bite of cereal mixed with mashed banana, laughing when he grabbed the spoon and attempted to feed his cheek.
“Close, but no cigar, champ,” Angie informed him, gently wiping him clean with a damp washcloth.
She took renewed aim at his gaping mouth, allowing him to assist, and this time the food found its way home and he ate as if they’d been starving him. She must have heard or sensed Lucius’s presence because she glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Morning.”
“I’m sorry he woke you,” Lucius said. “I planned to feed and change him, but thought I had time to make a quick phone call first.”
“No problem. I found the list of safe foods for him on the refrigerator and took it from there.”
“It’s a system Keesha and I worked out.”
“Smart.”
Angie wore one of his T-shirts and a pair of sweat shorts he used for workouts. The black cotton tee was too big for her, the neckline slipping off one narrow shoulder. It made her appear even more delicate and feminine. Fine-boned and fragile. Someone to protect the way he needed to protect Mikey. She hadn’t taken time to brush her hair and the tousled curls tumbled down her back. She shoved absently at them, hooking the strands behind her ears, not realizing she’d smeared a bit of cereal and banana on her cheek.
Lucius steeled himself against a sight that impacted in the region of a heart he’d thought long dead. Steeled himself against the craving to take. To hold. To safeguard.
“Why did you agree to marry me?” he asked abruptly.